Curfew was put in place as deadly violence hit Jamaican communities

KINGSTON, Jamaica– Several communities in Spanish Town and St Catherine in the southeast of Jamaica remained under a curfew as law enforcement authorities moved to end the gun violence that has resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to several others.

The police said that the deaths of the three men were linked to an internal feud in the One Order gang based in the parish.

Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson, said some areas had been placed under a 48-hour curfew, promising to “settle” the violence.

“We’re in the space,” said Anderson, noting that the shootings were “part of the ongoing violence” driven by gang feuds involving persons from the communities now under curfew.

“These guys have high-powered weapons and are not afraid to use them on each other,” he said, adding that various operational activities are now underway to boost security in the affected areas and apprehend the gunmen.

Media reports said that the police shot one of the men killed after he allegedly sought to challenge cops who tried to accost him at the car wash.

The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper said that the man was reportedly among a group fleeing in a car from the site of the first shooting and that they had allegedly shot three men, one of whom died.

Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay said another group of gangsters visited a location on Job Lane where they shot and killed a man.

An unknown number of persons have been hospitalized. The newspaper reported that residents, vendors, and shoppers were sent scurrying while businesses closed their doors as shooters attacked persons in the market district.

.It quoted the Police Commissioner as saying that a man freed last month at the Clansman-One Don Gang trial may be connected to the upsurge in violence.

Police said Domaine Elliston has since been apprehended in connection with the murder of an alleged gang member, Paul White, who was killed on Saturday. Two guns were also recovered.

Police said Clansman is the other major criminal organization that operates out of St Catherine.

Meanwhile, police are also probing the cause of a fire at the administrative building of the St Catherine Parish Court. The authorities indicate that cases scheduled to be heard would go as planned.